Interface modules are described, for example, on pages 172 and 173 of the catalog “Signal Converters—INTERFACE 2005” of the Phoenix Contact company. The described interface modules have a connector for a data cable, said connector being electrically connected to contact elements in the form of screw-type terminals. Electrical and/or electronic connections can be established to mating contact elements of a terminal block via separate wires connected to said contact elements. The terminal block includes mating contact elements in the form of screw clamp terminals, and further preferably includes electronics for processing electrical and/or electronic signals received from the interface module.
This method of establishing electrical and/or electronic connections between the interface module and the terminal block is considered time-consuming and error-prone because each wire must be individually connected to its associated screw-type terminal on the interface module and, in addition, also to the corresponding screw clamp terminal on the terminal block.
This is remedied by the interface module described on pages 182 and 183 of the catalog “Signal Converters—INTERFACE 2005” of the Phoenix Contact company.
This interface module uses male contact elements in place of screw clamp terminals for electrical and/or electronic connection to a terminal block, said male contact elements being electrically connected to the connector for the data cable.
When used in combination with a specially designed terminal block, in which the mating contact elements take the form of screw clamp terminals and, in addition, are adapted in their design to the male contact elements, these male contact elements allow a direct electrical connection to be established in that all male contact elements of the interface module are simultaneously inserted into the correspondingly designed mating contact elements. This allows quick connection between the interface module and the terminal block.